Acoustic Technologies, LLC, launched its Classic-Series single-driver loudspeakers at the 2009 CES in Las Vegas and has since then attended AK Fest 2009 and the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2009 and the 2010 CES.  Our Classic -Series loudspeakers have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our visitors.  We are very proud of our product and would like to share some of the professional reviews our loudspeakers have generated:

Don Shaulis - The Stereo Times - The Complete Audiophile Magazine - Equipment Review 02/11 at http://www.stereotimes.com/speak020811.shtml:

    "Music from the Classic speakers was full-bodied and holographic." [...] Off-axis listening was some of the best I have heard. [...]

    Readers should be aware of the intrinsic limitations of a single-driver design. Superb cohesion is the prize but the sacrifices are less extension at the extremes. I won't try to convince you that the Classics plumb the depths on bass or capture the full magic of violins. The vast majority of speakers cannot lay those claims (legitimately). And some that do only end up being painful to listen to with room thudding bass or piercing highs and that being at multiples of the price of the Classics. What I was listening for with the Classics was a speaker that could reproduce the essence of the music and move hearts and feet. The Classics easily delivered on that promise. [...]

    All speakers make compromises and certainly the Classics were no exception. But I did not find them objectionable. I was too busy thoroughly enjoying the music. Many speakers can capture the basic core of music. But the Classics did not capture it; they set it free. Music had life and presence that made me feel like I was there. Unlike many more costly speakers, the Classics get out of the way of the music. In another sense, they get out of the way period since they are so room-friendly and beg to be listened to off-axis. Although they perform very well in a small listening room, they also thrive in modern, open-architecture living areas. In short, these speakers are for real-world listening conditions."

John Atkinson - stereophile.com (RMAF 2009 Show Report) at http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2009/wheres_the_rest_of_the_speaker/:

    "When I walked into the room of Chicago-based Acoustic Technologies LLC, I thought I was listening to speakers that only had tweeters, because the only visible drive-unity was a single 3" unit. Yet the sound, a recording of Rimsky-Korsakov's Schererazade, was definitely full-range, and the soundstaging, as you might expect from such a small radiating diameter and a narrow cabinet baffle, was well-delineated. 

    The 3" unit, which has a titanium cone, was being used in the Acoustic Technologies Classic-Series loudspeaker to cover the entire audio band. Yes, the speaker was running out of headroom at climaxes with a lot of bass energy—maximum amplifier power is specified as 30Wpc—but there was a refreshing transparency to the overall presentation. System was an Ayon CD2 CD player, Pass Labs X-1 preamp, and a PS Audio power amp."

Paul Miller - hifi-news and Record Review -  March 2010 (Showblog - CES 2010) (Print Edition):

    "Single-cone speakers are on the rise as Acoustic Technologies demonstrated with its Classic Series full-range floorstander employing a 3in titanium coned driver. With its acoustically-tuned enclosure, silver internal wiring, Cardas CCGGL binding posts and absolutely no crossover, the Classic will accomodate 15W of amplifier power to deliver a remarkably large-scale and tightly focused sound."

Kevin East - SoundStage! - The Authority on High-End Audio (CES 2010 Show Report) at http://www.soundstage.com/traveler/traveler201003.htm:

    "[...] the Classics threw a huge soundstage that didn’t waver a skosh, no matter where I stood or sat. At one point, one of the demonstrators turned one speaker 180 degrees, so that its driver was facing away from the audience. No change whatsoever in the sound. Designer David Maeshiba warned that the Classics have no sweet spot at all, and by golly, he wasn’t kidding. I’d have to spend some time with the Classics and put ’em through their paces in a real-world room, but what I heard at CES made me want to spend time with them. Big, huge, full sound. Remarkable."

Laurence Borden - The Stereo Times - The Complete Audiophile Magazine  (CES 2009 Show Report) at www.stereotimes.com/CES2009LB.shtml:

    "During my three days at CES I listened to hundreds of different rooms. [...] But the bottom line is, no more than a handful of the systems I heard ticked my fancy [...] as my dissatisfaction with "mainstream" audio has been building for the past few years.  [...]  In simple terms, most of the systems lacked excitement.  Even some of the large, very expensive speakers, including those from manufacturers whose products have graced the covers of the glossy audio magazines, didn't cut it for me.  [...]  Rather than being a conduit to the music, they are a roadblock.  To be sure many of them are excellent transducers of sound, but they don't allow music to flow naturally, in a way that allows for an emotional connection. [...]  

    Fortunately, there were systems I did enjoy. [...] Acoustic Technologies Classic Series loudspeaker [...] uses a single 3" titanium cone speaker in a small footprint, lightweight cabinet.  They of course have no cross-over, and displayed astounding dispersion, sounding good from virtually any position in the room.  Paired with Pass amplification and an Ayon CD player, they were coherent, had good presence and surprisingly good bass, given the obvious limitations of the driver size.  All-in-all, an excellent addition to the all-too small world of commercially available single-driver speakers."

Laurence Borden - The Stereo Times - The Complete Audiophile Magazine (RMAF 2009 Show Report) at http://www.stereotimes.com/RMAF09LBd.shtml:

    "As at CES, In enjoyed the Acoustic Technologies speaker.  This is a small footprint single-driver floor stander.  [...] [D]riven by a Pass F3 amp, the speaker has remarkable dispersion, such that it sounds good irrespective of where one is standing or sitting in the room.  In my opinion, this speaker represents a fantastic product for those intrigued by single-driver speakers, those with a limited budget, or those interested in a "life style" speaker that offers the antithesis of the "head in a vice" sweet spot of many modern speakers.

Gary Lea - Constantine Soo's Dagogo - A Unique Audiophile Experience (RMAF 2009 Show Report) at http://www.dagogo.com/View-Article.asp?hArticle=559:

    "The Acoustic Technologies room was quite entertaining. This speaker is a very narrow floor-standing with a single, 3" driver. I first heard this speaker at the AKFEST in May and was mightily impressed not only with the amount of sound and frequency range that was attainable from a single 3” driver, but the musicality and the sound staging. The Acoustic Technologies makes a pretty convincing argument for single-driver speakers. They also do a pretty interesting demonstration to show that the speaker delivers a full sound without a particular sweet spot. Attractively priced [...], this elegant looking floor standing column would fit in with any décor."

Don Shaulis - The Stereo Times - The Complete Audiophile Magazine (CES 2009 Show Report) at www.stereotimes.com/CES2009DS.shtml:

    "This year I focused on affordability and value.  But those were not my primary criteria.  Before a room could be considered for my report, it had to make me smile.  Yes. it had to move my feet and my heart.  If a room was not musical, affordability did not matter and value was questionable at best. [...]

    Acoustic Technologies, LLC is a new company debuting at CES.  Their coming out party featured their Classic speaker, a little speaker with a big sound.  The Classic is a single-driver model with a directly coupled three-inch, high-efficiency titanium cone driver.  The cabinet is designed to be an amplifier and resonator.  I can testify that it works.  Vocals sparkled and bass slam (drums) and definition (upright bass) were surprisingly good.

    Off-axis listening was some of the best I have heard.  During part of my audition one speaker was turned 90 degrees to the outside.  Some focus was lost but the sound stage did not collapse and music was still very enjoyable.  The speakers were positioned on the long wall in the upper level of the bi-level Venetian suite.  I was encouraged to stand inn the front corner of the lower level.  The Classic filled the entire suite and even sounded good with my nose stuck in the corner.

    I give these speakers a 6-ways friendly rating - affordable, foot print, forgiving placement, aesthetics, easy to drive, and, most important, performance."


Rick Becker - enjoythemusic.com (CES & THE Show 2009 Report) at  http://www.enjoythemusic.com/ces2009/becker6/page3.htm:

    "The room was empty except for the music.  As sometimes happens, this off-the-beaten-path adventure turned up a real gem.  The music emanated from a pair of single driver floorstanders about 6-inches wide and 43-inches tall.  The driver itself was only 3 inch in diameter, but it was obvious it was very special. [...] A special cabinet design amplifies the bass and recreates sound like a musical instrument.  The breakthrough here was the ability of these loudspeakers to create 3-dimensional sound throughout the room without having to sit in a "sweet spot." [...] This Real World loudspeaker really excites me; I get goose bumps just listening to my video notes."


Mark Fleischmann - Home Theater (CES 2009 Show Report) at http://blog.hometheatermag.com/ces2009/:

    "The Classic is a slim tower using a single three-inch full-range driver. [...] This speaker had a highly natural, pleasing, gentle, ungimmicky sound with a well developed midrange and good soundstaging. Vocals sounded just right."

Kent Johnson - Positive Feedback (Audio Karma's AKFest 2009) at http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue43/akfest.htm:

    "The sound was astonishingly good and it was hard for most visitors to believe that this small driver was actually producing all the sound they were hearing. The Classic uses no crossover, features 99.99% pure silver wiring, and is over 92dB sensitive. [...] The sound of these speakers was very open and essentially the same at any place within the room. These speakers can really disappear."